


The Worst Is Yet to Come

by Alluraallie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Demons, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Magical Realism, Possible Character Death, Psychological Horror, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, it's not explicitly stated but Mark thinks so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:54:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29693259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alluraallie/pseuds/Alluraallie
Summary: Unusual. That's how Mark would describe the situation to his friend Donghyuck from back home the next morning. Unusual. Most unusual to wake up with two tattoos adorning your skin when you have never been near a needle in your life. Even more unusual when you can remember the events of last night perfectly, up until your eyes felt heavy on the pillow.
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Mark Lee (NCT), Mark Lee/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	The Worst Is Yet to Come

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for deciding to read! This is my first attempt at horror, but I was inspired to give it a shot when I saw the theme. I hope you enjoy either way!
> 
> Side note- This is set in American university, hence the reference to shitty healthcare. 
> 
> I also apologize in advance for the inevitable tense shifts, most of this was written in the wee hours of the morning.

Unusual. That's how Mark would describe the situation to his friend Donghyuck from back home the next morning. Unusual. Most unusual to wake up with two tattoos adorning your skin when you have never been near a needle in your life. Even more unusual when you can remember the events of last night perfectly, up until your eyes felt heavy on the pillow.

But alas, there they were. Two names inscribed in black ink. One below each pec, just over where his second rib began clear as day. They were only four or five inches across. Pretty easy to miss if Mark had not been checking the results of his workouts the past two weeks.

"Well, you said you know who they are right? Are you sure this isn't just some kind of prank?" Donghyuck's voice sounded staticky coming through his damaged phone. To be honest, he was lucky it still worked after dropping it into the toilet last week.

"Yeah, but these people don't even know where I live. I've only known them both for like a couple months and we're not like super close or anything."

He hears Donghyuck hum into the phone, a sound synonymous with an anticipated resolution.

"Alright, well I'll do a reading and tell you the results after class today."

Mark sighs in acceptance. He wasn't much for tarot readings or any kind of pseudoscience. He was a biology major for God's sake, but arguing with Donghyuck was like playing that knife game everyone was obsessed with in middle school; just when you think you've won, you end up with a gash that bleeds tremendously and it takes weeks to heal again.

"I'll call you later then. I have to get to class."

"Mmkay. Love ya Markie!" Donghyuck yells in his obnoxiously cutesy voice before proceeding to threaten, "Say it back!" 

Most people would find that tone of voice anything but terrifying but Mark knew better. Last time he refused to say it, Donghyuck came to visit within the week and proceeded to keep him up the majority of the night in the name of "best friend bonding." Code words for torture.

He forced the words over the lump in his throat, but they still came out scratchy and gross.

Donghyuck had the audacity to laugh. "You're getting there baby, I'm so glad you're finally learning how to express affection."

"Oh fuck off. I have to go," he huffed before hanging up and rubbing his forehead. Donghyuck was the devil.

By the time he made it to his last class of the day, chemistry, his body felt more exhausted than usual. It was like he skipped breakfast and then decided to jog to campus in the rain after getting four hours of sleep. Maybe he was exaggerating a bit or maybe he went harder than he thought for leg day. Either way, Mark slumped into his seat next to Jungwoo with a dramatic sigh.

Jungwoo was his lab partner for the semester. The first day of class Mark noticed him babbling to himself almost incomprehensibly. Although he tried to pay attention on syllabus day, he found himself much more interested in his lab partner who he hadn't introduced himself to yet. Once he figured out that Jungwoo was imitating the professor's grating voice in a high pitched tone while also throwing in subtle hand movements, he quickly tried to muffle his giggles behind his hand. They had become fast friends after that when Jungwoo took notice of Mark's amusement and got bolder and bolder with each passing second. When they finally introduced themselves, Mark took nicely to Jungwoo's kind nature. What that really meant was he always got Mark close to being kicked out of the classroom every day because Mark could barely resist the laughter bubbling up in his throat. Thus began a semester-long friendship characterized by food, bumping into people in the hallways from laughing too hard, and a shared passion for their degrees.

"What's got you so bummed out today?" Jungwoo asks, patting Mark's head in sympathy.

Mark turns to glance at him, puppy dog smile and perfectly straight, blond hair immediately coming into view. At the moment he does, a sharp pain suddenly shoots through his head making his ears ring. He hunches over in pain, palms flying to his temples to try and pound his head into a workable state. He feels Jungwoo's hands fly to his shoulders and he can't quite make out the words, but he's sure Jungwoo is asking if he's okay. When Jungwoo's hands make contact the "tattoo" on his left side stings.

Oh yeah, Jungwoo Kim was conveniently the name he discovered in that exact place this morning. Just as Mark's about to make a break for the nearest restroom to keel over, it stops. All the pain subsides. It mustn't have lasted more than a few seconds realistically, but it was excruciating enough to make him question his sanity a little.

"Mark, Mark! Can you hear me?" He processes that Jungwoo's shaking his shoulder.

Mark turns to look at him and runs a hand through his hair. Sweat? Damn. Must've taken a bigger toll on his body than he thought.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm not sure what happened exactly, I just got a mind-numbing headache. But I think I'm fine now."

Jungwoo's eyebrows knit, his hand beginning to rub Mark's back.

"That sounds pretty serious. Maybe I should take you to a doctor so you can get checked out or something."

Mark appreciated the concern, but truth be told he felt 100% fine now. His fatigue from earlier had gone away as well. Plus, he was broke. Couldn't afford a doctor's visit anyway.

"Nah that's okay dude. Besides, I feel perfectly fine now and this is my last class of the day. If I'm still feeling bad after, I'll go myself."

Jungwoo didn't look very convinced. "Are you sure? I don't mind at all. You looked like you were in some serious pain."

"Very," Mark smiled and hit Jungwoo's arm in classic bro fashion to convey his sincerity.

Jungwoo lifted a corner of his mouth at the gesture. He still didn't seem completely satisfied with his answer, but before he had a chance to say anything more, their professor spoke up to begin class.

\--

Mark should've expected it when he met up with Yuta for coffee later that day. But somehow the agonizing pain shooting through his head felt even worse than the first time. Yuta placed a steady hand on Mark's back from where he sat across from him. Once again, the ink marking his right side seared where it laid on his ribcage.

After some amount of time (that must have been longer than last time he was sure), everything subsided and he was faced with another concerned look and a coffee pushed towards him.

"If you're getting withdrawals that bad, you probably need this more than I do," Yuta 's expression changed to one of slight amusement as Mark gratefully took the coffee and slammed half of it in one go.

"Rough day?"

"Something like that, but," Mark held up a finger, "it can only get better from here."

Yuta raised an eyebrow. "You never struck me as an optimist."

"It's either that or listen to every time Donghyuck says my day will be filled with impending doom."

"Like your day could ever be filled with doom if you're seeing me." Yuta flourishes his statement with a smile a little too sincere to be joking.

Mark can only laugh. There's something about Yuta. Something entrancing about his guileless confidence.

They talk about those things that friends talk about after class at the campus coffee shop. How much they hate their earliest class, the homework they have to do, the friends they’re too busy to meet…

\--

It isn't until Mark's sure he drifted off to sleep some time ago after Donghyuck's tarot card reading (which he didn't pay much attention to) that he's so fiercely reminded that nothing about anything in the past day was grounded in normalcy.

He "woke up" with aching behind his eyes and it took everything in his power not to scratch at them. The ringing in his ears seemed to be at a crescendo; it was like sight and sound were switched in his brain and suddenly he felt that he could see sound in front of his face like an evil spirit, wretched and cardinal.

And then...silence. His throbbing head slowed to a dull ache until finally it stopped all together and the marks on both sides of his ribcage ceased to brand him. He wasn't in his bed anymore, no. He was floating, somewhere solid, yet viscous like gelatin mixed with molten magma. Moving took more strength than his body had to give and he was left to sit and listen to the sound of his own blood rushing through his brain. Not only could he hear it, he could feel it. Swimming slowly through his veins, following the chills up and down his spine. Oh god, he couldn't escape. Dear Lord, he needed to get out.

Then, a voice...in the distance. He reached forward blindly, grasping at anything that could get him out this hell.

_Mark Lee._

It seemed to be calling him and the sound reverberated around his skull like wind whistling through an empty cave, bringing him to a step closer to deliverance.

When he comes to, it’s with the damning knowledge that the names on his chest were not much different than a mark of his eminent demise.

One of the people was his soulmate...and the other was to kill him.

\--

It took a couple weeks for everything to finally settle in. The first week Mark was intent on passing it all off for a dream. Then, the next time Jungwoo bumped his arm in class, he felt it- a tingling sensation on the left part of his ribcage, just present enough for fear to sink in. What if it wasn't a dream?

When Donghyuck called him the week after, frantic and more hysterical than Mark had seen him in his life screaming something about his reading that day and the devil, some type of swords, and _death_ , Mark knew he had to do something, anything, to make sure that wasn't the case.

He assured Donghyuck that everything was fine and nothing else crazy happened after the appearance of the tattoos on his ribs. It was for his own good. If he told him about the headaches or the weird knowledge he suddenly woke up with, there'd be no telling what Donghyuck would do.

No. This was something he had to handle himself. As logically and calmly as possible.

Yeah, calmly... Mark exhaled with a shaky breath. Should be easy enough.

Mark dove headfirst into interactions with the two. He told himself it was for his own peace of mind and that every bit of information he discovered was important to his survival. The Devil or whoever the fuck was toying with him wasn't going to get the satisfaction of seeing him cower in fear.

Jungwoo was a bit fidgety, but he always seemed genuinely happy to see Mark and ask him about his day. He messed around with his watch a lot he noticed, the quiet yet noticeable sound of cheap metal on metal rubbing against each other. That wasn't really all that strange. Maybe Jungwoo was just a nervous person after all.

Yuta on the other hand was also friendly, a little bizarre, sure, in the way he spoke, but Mark felt this strange comfort in Yuta's presence. Like everything he said would be taken in stride, twisting and turning in an exciting and unexpected way. He also couldn't deny he was a bit attracted to him.

He and Yuta first met at the coffee shop they now frequent regularly. Like the start of a romcom, Yuta accidently turned around with a full cup of coffee and spilled it all over Mark. To make it up to him, he put his number in his phone and told Mark he'd buy him a coffee on their "date."

To this day, Mark isn't sure if he was serious or not. Sometimes he catches the sweet glances he sends his way and _hopes_ he was. 

—

Every day that passed, Mark didn't feel much closer to the truth.

Because he was so wrapped up in both of them, he ended up spending most of his days growing closer as he learned more about them.

He found that Yuta was surprisingly terrible at school.

“But you don’t strike me at all as someone who’d struggle in school.”

Yuta shook his head and moved his orange hair out of his eyes. “I don’t know, I guess I’ve never been the studious type. I’d honestly much rather tinker with my toys.”

“Your...toys?” Mark inquired.

Yuta giggles, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in that perfect elegant way you’d see a movie protagonist do it.

“I forgot I haven’t told you. I’m an inventor of sorts. There’s nothing I love more than breaking parts down and putting them back together in new ways.”

Mark smiles at Yuta’s clear enjoyment. “That’s really cool! See? I knew you were smart. Have you ever thought about selling them?"

Yuta’s smile widens, a glint that seems to spread through his teeth, sparkling with equal parts mirth and menace. Mark is drawn in with that sick sense of wanting to know a dirty secret.

“Mark,” Yuta enunciates the last letter with that dazzling look in his eyes, “Not just anyone can play with my toys. They’re special.”

Mark’s eyebrows knit, not quite understanding what that means, but also not wanting to accidentally disappoint Yuta. He tends to be a bit slow on the uptake.

“Oh, well…” Mark starts, “Can I see them?”

Yuta shifts his eyes away, focusing on something Mark can’t see. “Maybe someday. If you’re special enough.” He glances back with a wink.

Mark thinks he should be offended, but Yuta always manages to give him something to think about as he’s falling away into dreamland. 

He really, really wants to be special enough.

The next day, he taps Jungwoo on the shoulder after he’s finished packing up his books, “Do you want to come over and study? I have _so_ much shit to do and I need someone to hold me accountable.” 

Being with Jungwoo was easy and natural, so Mark almost thought he heard incorrectly when he said “No.”

His eyes widened, “No? Are you busy today or something?” 

Jungwoo scattered his gaze around the room looking everywhere but right in front of him, “Th-that’s right. I-I have some stuff to take care of. Like errands and I’m so busy, so I can’t.”

It _always_ ended up that way, usually followed by a promise of next time.

\--

He woke up with an ultimatum. Ten days.

If he didn't successfully deduce in ten days who the killer was, he was dead.

Mark found himself spending more time researching everything he could about killers than sleeping. Bloodshot eyes and bags to match became an accessory to his daily look.

He became uneasy hearing the clang of metal on metal. Turning around suddenly when his thoughts wandered too far on the way home. Every denial of his invite to hangout felt more like a confirmation of something he didn’t want to believe. If Jungwoo didn’t make any attempt to get closer to him, how could he be his soulmate? Also, Jungwoo knew his entire schedule. He could ambush him at any given moment.

Mark started to carry a knife just in case.

He found himself over at Yuta's when everything got too much. Even when he told himself he didn’t know for sure. Even when it was too close.

Three days.

Kissing on the couch. Hands in orange hair. Burning in his chest.

The sudden sound of an alarm on Yuta's phone makes Mark jump back like a feral cat.

"What's wrong baby? You haven't been looking too good lately. Maybe we should get you to bed..." Yuta trails off, stroking his cheek with his finger affectionately.

"No! I-I can't! I have insomnia." Mark frantically yells, too on edge to care about how insane he might sound.

Yuta hums, a saccharine sound. His soulmate. Yuta must be his soulmate. Which means...

"Yuta, there's something I have to tell you."

And he does. He tells him the whole thing. How it started. How he only has three days to escape.

Yuta seems more composed than he expected after the news of his soulmate being sentenced to death. He should've expected it. It was Yuta after all. Yuta knew what he was doing.

"Let's not worry any more about it. You can stay with me. He'll never find you here. I'll make sure no one but me is allowed to touch you, okay?" Yuta smiles wide and pats Mark on the head.

Peace. He feels peace. Like he can finally rest.

"Now, I think I should show you my toys, wouldn't you like that?" Yuta takes on a teasing tone, not unlike one he would use on a dog. Mark isn't in his right mind to care.

He nods vigorously like the sweet, obedient thing he was meant to be.

“Three days? That’s longer than I thought you’d last.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so so much again for reading! I love comments, so please tell me what you think :)   
> Even if it's a keyboard smash, it counts <3


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